WEEK TWO: CFL Picks by Anthony Urciuoli
Anthony Urciuoli Broadcasting Journalist
HAMILTON – I was a little hesitant to show my face after a 1-7 week one and while I’m not one for excuses…
Oh wait, yes I am.
In the four week-one games, there was a total of twenty-four turnovers and four blocked punts. For those of you too lazy to do the math that’s an average of six turnovers and one blocked punt per game. There were thirteen turnovers and a blocked punt between B.C. and Saskatchewan alone. The circumstances did not lend much generosity when trying to pick the correct outcome. But if it were easy we’d all be millionaires and the CFL would not be the entertaining game that it is.
Having said all of that and not likely fetching any empathy, I’m still confident in my picks and stand by them. Hopefully the teams can clean things up in week two.
Thursday, July 9th
Edmonton Eskimos (1-0) at Montreal Alouettes (1-0)
What’s the best way to rebound from a sloppy week one? Pit the two most efficient quarterbacks against one another. It doesn’t appear that Anthony Calvillo and the Alouettes are falling off anytime soon. They walked in to hostile Calgary territory in week one and put up 40 points against the defending champs on route to a thirteen-point victory. Ricky Ray and the Eskimos, on the other hand, barely squeaked out a two-point win against an anemic Bluebombers squad. Edmonton will likely need more then 19 points to walk out of Montreal with a W and while they’re quite capable of scoring – I don’t think they can score enough to hang with the Al’s. Especially when you factor in the depleted Edmonton running game. Remember that Montreal struggled against the West last year and with a win against the Stamps already – they’ll be poised to silence the critics once more.
Picks: Alouettes
Friday, July 10th
Calgary Stampeders (0-1) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-1)
Prior to week one, this matchup looked like the second coming of David versus Goliath, but now – not so much. Calgary struggled to keep up with Montreal but still showed shades of explosiveness on offense. Henry Burris made mistakes and the only way Winnipeg sneaks away with a win here is if Hank allows them too. Stefan LeFors had every bit of a shaky debut as most people predicted. His mobility is clearly his strength and I think after already playing in a game, the Stamps can write the first few chapters of their book on the LeFors. I can’t see how the Bombers can sustain enough offensive drives to a) score enough points to keep up with a dangerous offense on the other side and b) keep their defense off the field long enough before Calgary can aim for the jugular.
Picks: Stampeders
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) at BC Lions (0-1)
Hamilton will be hoping the same Lions who committed six turnovers against Saskatchewan show up on Friday, but I wouldn’t count on it. I still feel very strongly that BC quarterback Buck Pierce will have a breakout season in 2009 and he’ll be facing a Ticat defense that is still trying to find their way under new defensive coordinator Greg Marshal. The quarterback on the other side will likely once again be Quinton Porter who is very similar to Pierce. Porter had a so-so debut against Toronto last week with his biggest concern being seeming indecisiveness that causes him to hold on to the ball for too long. An issue that both Porter and the coaching staff are obviously well aware of and will likely look to improve on.
Picks: Lions
Saturday, July 11
Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) at Toronto Argonauts (1-0)
Both Saskatchewan and Toronto are probably the two most difficult teams to get a read on early. Toronto is certainly a much-improved team this year and Kerry Joseph looked a lot more like the quarterback the Argo’s thought they’d be getting when they acquired him. He takes on his former team and the revenge factor has to get some consideration. The Roughriders are relying on the inexperienced arm of Darian Durant who did some good things in a very sloppy game. The ridiculous amount of turnovers by both them and the Lions make Saskatchewan a difficult team to read at this point. Toronto showed off their “bend but don’t break” secondary against Hamilton and they’ll make it very difficult for the Riders to move the ball down field but ultimately my selection in this game comes down to one deciding factor. The improved Argo’s are at home and the Green Riders are a different team on the road then they are at home.
Picks: Argonauts
Loading ...
5 Comments
I agree with 3 out of 4. Als over the Esks, Stamps over the Bombers, Lions over the Cats but I think the Riders will beat the Argos.
Riders/Argos was the toughest game to pick. I saw the Argo’s in person last week, and yes they played Hamilton, but they look much improved. Joseph and the secondary looked sharp. We’ll see what both teams are made of when it’s all said and done though.
1 for 1. What a beating by the Al’s. It makes you wonder how bad Winnipeg is if they lost to the Esks. I guess that is what is great about the CFL. You never know what will happen week to week.
that was a bad beating they took, I couldn’t believe it.. as Gary said.. you never know what will happen week to week.. oh ya bye the way Anthony I got the Als in my pick.. I am 3-2 for now.. I have the Stamps, Argos, and Lions (sorry Anthony).
I don’t even know what to think anymore…
I suppose this is why the CFL is the game that it is